The "What If?" Doll

I'm baaaack! *grins*

I abandoned this little blog a couple of years ago when I also gave up reborning baby dolls. I'd found that while I enjoyed the intensive, laborious work of creating a reborn, I could not find my place in the reborning market.In other words, I was spending more money on my art than I was making.

So why resurrect this blog now?

I have found my way into the world of OOAK (one of a kind) doll repainting, and boy, do I love it here! I begin with a store-bought doll, remove her factory paint, and give her a completely new look or face-up using soft pastels and professional acrylics. I seal the deal with Mr. Super Clear.

So far, I have painted Ellowyne Wilde, Monster High, and Ever After High dolls. Of the three, I enjoy repainting the MH dolls the most. I love their unique personalities, and I have a lot of fun giving them a whole new look.You can have a peek at my currently available dolls in my Etsy shop. Thanks so much for peeking!

The dolls I've painted so far vary from quirky and strange to cute and fun to just plain adorable (i.e. Lagoonafire). I spend about ten to twelve hours on each doll. I squeeze in dolly repaint time between being a mom to two fabulous kids, completing grad school assignments, and generally running a household on my own. Painting fills a space in my life, allowing me to express myself creatively and at the same time, offer something cool and fun for others to view and enjoy (and maybe even purchase).

Today, I posted a picture of my latest repaint, Lagoonafire, on Facebook, and it caught my friend Abby's eye. She declared it adorable but then she posed a challenge. What if I pushed myself further still? What if I devoted a huge amount of time on one doll? This got me to thinking? What if I went deeper with the details and layering? What if I added more hair to give the doll's hairstyle a fuller, more life-like look? What if I sewed her an original outfit? What if I made jewelry for her?

The dolls I currently sell in my shop are reasonably priced to be readily available to someone who likes them. Each doll is $40 plus shipping. At the moment, I'm offering $5 off each order. All you have to do is use coupon code INSTAGRAM714.

The "what if" doll would, of course, be more expensive due to the extensive work involved in creating her, but I believe there is a market for my work. I simply have to find my audience. Oh, and I have to keep doing the work itself, pushing myself farther with each new doll I create.

Here's the thing. I'm going to give this "what if" doll a try. And, I've decided to share the journey with you. I'll be taking work-in-progress pictures along the way and blogging, perhaps once or twice a week, about my process.

The "what if" doll is *drum roll* Abbey Bominable! (In honor of my friend, Abby!)

Because I already took her hair down, I'll share a stock image I found online, so you have an idea of what she looks like before her makeover.

So, what do you think of my new venture? Are you a doll fan? Which doll brand/line is your favorite and why? Have you ever tried repainting a doll? What are your favorite techniques?

Coming up next: "What If" Doll Gets a New Hairdo

Dolly hugs,

Trenda Marie

Tiny & Sweet - Miniature Reborn Baby Doll

UPDATE: Annie is now with her new mommy!

If you've been dreaming of bringing home a reborn baby doll, this little darling would love for you to be her forever Mommy. She's on sale for a limited time.

Annie is a precious 6-inch miniature reborn baby girl dressed in a sweet pink romper with matching bonnet.

Annie weighs approximately 9 ounces. Her head, limbs, and body were weighted with tiny glass weighting beads and high-quality Poly-fil. Body is cotton fabric. This baby is intended for adult collectors only. Not intended as a toy for children.

Annie began life as a vinyl kit created from Secrist's adorable sculpt, Bunny.

All of her beautiful details were patiently and meticulously painted by me using many layers of Genesis heat set paints...even her tiny fingernails, toenails, and eyebrows!

Annie will arrive wearing her pink romper and bonnet. Adoption certificate included. If you wish to change your baby's name, let me know in the message to seller, and I will include the name of your choice on the birth certificate.

Thank you for peeking at this little sweetheart! Bright Blessings!

Joseph ~ Reborn Baby Boy

Joseph ~ Cute Preemie Reborn - ADOPTED

~ NEWS from the NURSERY ~

Sophie joined her new mommy in California last week, and I've just told Lily the gorgeous news she'll be joining her adoptive mother in just a few days. It's been a busy week here in my nursery! Such joy and so much baby fun!

What do you think of Joseph? My friend Abby helped to name him. Thank you, Abby!

Joseph began life as a Victoria Reid sculpt (Zoe) from Secrist dolls. After two weeks of patiently waiting as I meticulously and lovingly painted his every precious detail, Joseph is finally ready to meet his new mommy!

Joseph

Joseph is 17 inches long and weighs approximately 2 pounds and 4 ounces. His little outfit is a size Preemie and was made by Carter's. He also brings home a receiving blanket, birth certificate, and because he couldn't bear to part with it: his dear monkey snugglie to keep him company on his journey home.

Thank you for having a look at my newest little darling!

Dolly hugs,

Trenda
"Mary Golightly"

Proud member of International Reborn Doll Artists

Cuddly Baby Dolls by Mary Golightly - Now on eBay

A baby is sunshine and
moonbeams and more.
Brightening your world
as never before. ~Anonymous

 ~*~

Shopping for a doll lover for the holidays? Better still, shopping for yourself? :-)


Peek at two of my reborn creations now on eBay. No reserve. Super quick, one day handling time. Economy or expedited shipping available.

Lily ~ Formerly, Kaylee, a Limited Edition sculpt by Linda K. Smith

Lily is 19 inches long and weighs approximately 3 pounds.

~*~

Keri ~ Formerly Taffy, a Victoria Reid sculpt

Keri is 17 inches long and weighs approximately 2 pounds.

~*~

If you have any questions about my dolls, please feel free to leave a comment.

Bright Blessings!

"Mary Golightly"

(Trenda Plunkett

Taffy and Kaylee from Secrist Dolls

Meet Lilly

Thank you to everyone who's been following along as I brought Kaylee to life! Kaylee is the name of the sculpt by Linda K. Smith. Secrist Dolls produced a limited edition of Kaylee doll kits...only 295! I have completed my doll and have now renamed her Lilly.

Love her sweet blond hair? I wanted Lilly to resemble a toddler, so rather than rooting her hair, I selected a premium mohair wig (Kemper - Cassidy) from HunnyBuns Reborn Supply. (not an affiliate link)

If you look closely, you'll notice I added a few finishing touches to Lilly. Her freckles were applied with a 00 round brush and a mix of Genesis Yellow Ochre and Burnt Umber. Her lips were given a wet appearance by applying Aleene's Paper Glaze (sometimes called Secrist Baby Tears) to her mouth and tongue. (Never bake Baby Tears.) I also applied her eyelashes with Aleene's Clear Tacky Glue.

Let me know in the comments what you think of Lilly! I hope you enjoyed seeing her come to life.

Bring Lilly home!


All photos copyright Mary Golightly (Trenda Plunkett). Do not copy without my express permission. Thank you!

Adorable stuffed bear is "Fuzz" by Ty Beanie Buddies.

Bringing Your Baby Doll to Life - Part 7

Welcome back!

Here's a picture of Kaylee's eyebrows. As you can see, I used a very fine liner brush to apply the color.

I'm planning to use premium blonde mohair for Kaylee's hair, so I wanted her eyebrows to be blonde, too. I used Genesis Yellow Ochre with a touch of Genesis Burnt Umber. For extra control, I like to use Genesis Thinning Medium instead of odorless thinner.

Paint the eyebrows using your choice of Genesis heat set paints and Genesis Thinning Medium.

Bake the head at 265 degrees Fahrenheit or 130 degrees Celsius. Allow it to cool completely before continuing.



P.S. I'm not sure if you can see it in the picture, but before I did the eyebrows, I added some details to the eyelids. They are very subtle. I painted red micro veins on Kaylee's lids with my fine liner brush. After baking the veins, I applied a very thin layer of blue to tint the lids. I baked the head again before applying a bit of thin purple tint to the lids.

~*~

If you are interested in an in depth look at color mixing and reborning, I highly recommend The Art of Reborning II - Painting with Genesis Heat Set Paints. (not an affiliate link)

Bring home one of my precious angels! See Baby Keri's Auction and My Babies on Etsy. 

Bringing Your Baby Doll to Life - Part 6

Welcome back! Today, I'm sharing pictures of how I painted Kaylee's lips and nails.

Mix your lip and nail paint using Genesis Heat Set Paints in Phthalo Red 02, Phthalo Red 06 and a very small amount of Phthalo Green 06. Mix these colors with a small amount of Genesis Thinning Medium for extra control when painting the lips and nails.

Using Genesis Thinning Medium instead of Odorless Thinner for the lips and nails provides added control as you paint. Don't use more 40% of the thinning medium to the paint.

Apply this color with a small filbert brush. Apply to the lips and nails and tips of fingers and toes.

Apply the with a small filbert brush.

Bake the parts for 265 degrees Fahrenheit or 130 degrees Celsius. Allow the parts to cool completely before continuing to the next step.

If you want, you can apply a bit of the crease and wrinkle paint to the center of the mouth. If you do, be sure to bake the head again. Since Kaylee has such a cute open  mouth, I decided to create a textured tongue. Do this by applying tiny dots of Flesh 08 (no thinner or thinning medium) to the tongue with your 00 round brush. Bake. Allow to cool. Now add another thin layer of lip paint over the dots to soften them. Bake. Allow to cool. For added texture, I like to "dot on" Authentic Reborn 3D Texture Medium with a pointed clay shaper tool. Bake. Allow to cool.

This is how the mouth will look after applying texture and color as described above.

With a clean small filbert brush, apply a thin layer of Genesis Glazing Medium to the fingernails and toenails.

With a 00 round brush, apply Genesis Flesh 08 to the nail tips for a "baby manicure."

Once you've applied the Genesis Glazing Gel and Flesh 08 to the nails, bake the limbs at 265 degrees Fahrenheit or 130 degrees Celsius. Allow parts to cool completely before continuing to the next step.

~*~

If you are interested in an in depth look at color mixing and reborning, I highly recommend The Art of Reborning II - Painting with Genesis Heat Set Paints. (not an affiliate link)

Bring home one of my precious angels! See Baby Keri's Auction and My Babies on Etsy. 

Bringing Your Baby Doll to Life - Part 5

Welcome back! Today, I'm sharing pictures of how I painted Kaylee's creases and wrinkles.

Mix your crease and wrinkle paint in one of the wells on your porcelain (or aluminum...no plastic!) palette. I'm using Genesis Heat Set Paints. Darken your blush color mix with some of your Burnt Umber. This will deepen the tone of your paint. Stephanie Sullivan suggests adding a bit of Dioxazine Purple 04 to cool the color.

Mix your crease and wrinkle color on your palette.

I use my 00 round brush to apply this color to the creases and wrinkles. Use a scrubby brush to feather and blend the edges.

Apply crease and wrinkle paint to the inside of the nostrils.

Apply crease and wrinkle paint to the inside of the ears.

Use a scrubby brush to feather the edges of the crease and wrinkle paint.

Apply paint to the creases and wrinkles on the hands and arms.

Apply paint to the creases and wrinkles on the feet and legs.

Bake at 265 degrees Fahrenheit or 130 degrees Celsius. Allow the parts to cool completely before proceeding to the next step.

If you are interested in an in depth look at color mixing and reborning, I highly recommend The Art of Reborning II - Painting with Genesis Heat Set Paints. (not an affiliate link)

Bring home one of my precious angels! See Baby Keri's Auction and My Babies on Etsy. 

Bringing Your Baby Doll to Life - Part 4

Welcome back! Today I'm sharing more pictures of Kaylee, my current baby doll in progress. I apologize for the photo quality. I am saving up for a good camera. I hope you still find the posts and photos to be helpful.

After baking the first blush layer, let the parts cool completely. For the next step, we'll be adding the second layer of foundation paint. Lightly moisten the end of your cosmetic foam wedge with odorless thinner (I use the Mona Lisa brand). With a 1/2 inch Maxine's Mop, apply a dot of Flesh 07 and a dot of Flesh 08 to the sponge.

Genesis Flesh 08 (left) and Flesh 07 (right)

With an up and down pouncing motion, apply the paint to the doll, reloading the sponge when needed. Try not to over-blend the colors.

Apply the second foundation layer using Flesh 07 and Flesh 08.

 

 

Bake the parts at 265 degrees Fahrenheit or 130 degrees Celsius. Allow parts to cool completely before continuing.

Next, we use our blush color mix to apply blushing details to the head and limbs. Look at pictures of real babies to get ideas for blushing your baby doll in a realistic way.

Add blushing details to the head with your Maxine's Mop.

Add blushing details to the limbs with your Maxine's Mop.

Bake the parts at 265 degrees Fahrenheit or 130 degrees Celsius. Allow the parts to cool completely before continuing.

~*~

If you are interested in an in depth look at color mixing and reborning, I highly recommend The Art of Reborning II - Painting with Genesis Heat Set Paints. (not an affiliate link)

Bring home one of my precious angels! See Baby Keri's Auction and My Babies on Etsy. 

Bringing Your Baby Doll to Life - Part 3

Now it's time to apply the first layer of blush to your baby. For Kaylee, I'll be using a peaches and cream tone for her blush. Mix the blush using odorless thinner and Genesis Pyrole Red 02 with a bit of Pyrole Red 05 to deepen the color a bit. Add a bit of Genesis Burnt Umber to tone it down and a very small touch of Phthalo Blue 03 to cool the color.

Use a 00 round brush to mix the blush color for your baby.

 With a 1/2 inch Maxine's Mop, apply a dot of color to the end of a clean cosmetic foam wedge and apply the blush with a pouncing motion onto the head and limbs. This can be as dark or as light as you want. You'll be adding another blushing layer later on in the process.

Apply a dot of paint to the end of a clean cosmetic foam wedge sponge.

If you are interested in an in depth look at color mixing and reborning, I highly recommend The Art of Reborning II - Painting with Genesis Heat Set Paints. (not an affiliate link)

Bring home one of my precious angels! See Baby Keri's Auction and My Babies on Etsy.

Bringing Your Baby Doll to Life - Part 2

Our next step in bringing Kaylee to beautiful reborn life is applying the first foundation layer of paint. I use Genesis Flesh 08 mixed with odorless thinner.

Mix Genesis Flesh 08 with odorless thinner (I use Mona Lisa brand.)

Apply the thinned paint to the end of a clean cosmetic foam wedge sponge.

Using a 1/2 inch Maxine's Mop, I apply the thinned Flesh 08 to the end of a clean cosmetic foam wedge. With an up and down pouncing motion, I then apply the paint all over the head. Keep pouncing and adding more paint to the sponge until you have a nice even coat.

Apply the foundation layer in an even coat. Use an up and down pouncing motion.

This layer forms the foundation for all of the other layers of color I'll be adding along the way. Repeat this process for the arms and legs. I don't apply this coat to the lips or nails.

Set the parts on the drying rack to allow the odorless thinner to evaporate before baking the parts.

Set the parts on the drying rack. Wait until all of the odorless thinner has evaporated before placing the parts in your oven. I prefer to use a dedicated counter-top oven (not a toaster oven). Remember to use an oven thermometer to ensure the temperature is exactly 265 degrees Fahrenheit or 130 degrees Celsius. Set a timer for 8 minutes.

Once the parts are baked, allow them to cool before proceeding to the next step.

Always keep paints, thinner, and other supplies out of the reach of children and pets. When using a counter-top oven, position it where children and pets cannot touch it.

Up Next: Applying the first blushing layer

Bring home one of my precious angels! See Baby Keri's Auction and My Babies on Etsy.

Meet Keri ~ Precious Preemie

Meet Keri, a sweet little preemie reborn baby girl. Keri measures 17 inches in length and weighs approximately 2 pounds. She was weighted using fine glass weighting beads and high quality Poly-fil.

Her complexion is a beautiful peaches and cream. She has a tiny birthmark beneath her eye and another beneath her nose. So cute!

Keri began life as a Taffy sculpt from Secrist Dolls. Her hair and eyelashes were hand-rooted with blond Angelic Touch Mohair...so baby soft!

As you can imagine, many, many hours of loving work went into the creation of this little darling.

Want to bring this little darling home to stay? See Keri's eBay auction before she's gone!

Welcome!

Welcome to "A Doll is Born," my new blog devoted to my work as a reborn doll artist. I'll share plenty of pictures of each baby doll. Watch each little darling come to life!

Want a sneak peek at one of my reborn doll creations? Meet Sophie, a precious baby girl brought to beautiful life with the "Jordan" kit created from a sculpt by Adrie Stoete Schuiteman.

Want to bring Sophie home?

Bright Blessings!

Mary Golightly